Presence

Dear Lord, as I come to You today,
fill my heart and my whole being
with the wonder of Your presence.

Freedom

It is so easy to get caught up
with the trappings of wealth in this life.
Grant, O Lord, that I may be free
from greed and selfishness.
Remind me that the best things in life are free:
love, laughter, caring and sharing.

Consciousness

Heavenly Father, thank You that Your love never fails and that Your mercies are new every morning. May I never fail to turn to You with my needs, with my love.

The Word of God

³⁹In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, ⁴⁰where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴²and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Inspiration

Elizabeth’s praise of Mary and her child still finds a voice whenever we pray the Hail Mary. There is a great difference between saying prayers and praying prayers. All real prayer is spoken to a person. Whenever we say ‘Hail Mary’, Mary is immediately attentive to us.

Enlightened by the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth recognises in Mary the Mother of her God. The Holy Spirit is always active in whatever God wills. It is the same Spirit who has spoken through the prophets. We should often pray to the Holy Spirit for light and guidance in our lives and to serve God in peace and joy.

Conversation

I settle myself once again after hearing the Word of God. What would I like to take with me into my day? What do I want to remember from today’s reading or prayer time?

Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Amen